1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connector for piping hoses, pipes, and the like. More particularly, the present invention relates to a connector in which the connection between a male member and a female member can be checked.
2. Description of the Related Art
As one of connectors for connecting hoses, a connector as illustrated FIGS. 15 and 16 has been known conventionally. The conventional connector includes a pipe-shaped male member 80, a female member 82, an engagement member 83, and a checking member 84. The male member 80 is provided with a ring-shaped convexity 80a which is disposed at a position away from the leading end by a predetermined distance, and which projects in a centrifugal direction. The female member 82 is provided with a substantially cylinder-shaped housing 81 which has a fitting opening end 81a, and into which the male member 80 is fitted. The engagement member 83 is fitted into the housing 81 and held at an end on the side of the fitting opening 81a of the housing 81, thereby connecting the male member 80, fitted into the housing 81, with the female member 82. The checking member 84 is assembled externally around and held onto an outer periphery of the housing 81 in a direction perpendicularly to an axial direction, and is designed to check whether the male member 81 is connected with the female member 82.
Further, at an end on the side of the fitting opening end 81a of the housing 81, there are formed a pair of windows 81b which penetrate through in a radial direction and face each other in a peripheral direction. Furthermore, the engagement member 83 has a pair of claws 83a which are capable of elastically deforming in a radial direction, and which are disposed at positions corresponding to the windows 81b. Moreover, as illustrated in FIG. 16, the checking member 84 is formed as a letter C-shape which is capable of diametrically enlarging by elastic deformation. The checking member 84 is fitted into a cut-off groove 81c which is formed continuously from an end of the windows 81b of the housing 81, and is thereby assembled externally around and held onto an outer periphery of the housing 81 in a direction perpendicular to an axial direction. In addition, the checking member 84 has a pair of engagement concavities 84a, 84a, and a pair of leading-end contacting portions 84b, 84b. Before the male member 80 is connected with the female member 82, the engagement concavities 84a, 84a engage with a peripheral edge of the windows 81b, 81b so that they inhibit the checking member 84 from coming off from the housing 81 in a direction perpendicularly to an axial direction. The leading-end contacting portions 84b, 84b are brought into contact with an outer periphery of the ring-shaped convexity 80a of the male member 80 when the male member 80 is fitted into the housing 81 of the female member 82.
In the conventional connector, the checking member 84 is assembled from the outside in a direction perpendicular to an axial direction, and is held onto an outer peripheral surface of the housing 81 of the female member 82 before the male member 80 is connected with the female member 82. Thus, the engagement concavities 84a, 84a of the checking member 84 are engaged with the peripheral edge of the windows 81b, 81b. At the same time, the leading-end contacting portions 84b, 84b of the checking member 84 are fitted into the windows 81b, 81b, and are placed at an axially inner position with respect to the claws 83a, 83a of the engagement member 83. Under the circumstances, the ring-shaped convexity 80a of the male member 80 presses and enlarges the claws 83a, 83a of the engagement member 83 outwardly in a radial direction against their elasticity when the male member 80 is fitted into the housing 81 of the female member 82. Eventually, the ring-shaped convexity 80a goes beyond the claws 83a, 83a. Thus, the leading end of the claws 83a, 83a engages with the ring-shaped convexity 80a to put the male member 80 and the female member 81 into the connected state. In the connected state (i.e., the state illustrated in FIGS. 15 and 16), the ring-shaped convexity 80a of the male member 80 presses and enlarges the leading-end contacting portion 84b, 84b of the checking member 84 outwardly in a radial direction. Accordingly, the leading-end contacting portions 84b, 84b of the checking member 84 come off from the peripheral edge of the windows 81b, 81b. As a result, the checking member 84 is projected by the elasticity in a direction perpendicular to an axial direction (i.e., the direction specified by the arrow of FIG. 16) so that it comes off from the housing 81 of the female member 82. Hence, it is possible to check whether the male member 80 is connected with the female member 82.
As described so far, in the conventional connector, the checking member 84 comes off from the housing 81 of the female member 82 by the elastic restoring force in a direction perpendicular to an axial direction when the male member 80 is connected with the female member 82. Thus, the conventional connector enables an operator to check whether the male member 80 is connected with the female member 82.
Note that, in the conventional connector, the following arrangements are devised in order to make the checking member 84 likely to come off from the housing 81 of the female member 82 in a direction perpendicular to an axial direction: the housing 81 is provided with the cut-off groove 81 so as to reduce a peripheral width between side walls of the housing 81 over which the checking member 84 extends; or an intermediate member is disposed independently on an inner-surface side of the leading-end contacting portions 84b, 84b of the checking member 84 so as to press and enlarge the leading-end contacting portions 84b, 84b of the checking member 84 by the ring-shaped convexity 80a via the intermediate member.
However, when the checking member 84 projects and comes off from the housing 81 of the female member 82 by the elastic restoring force simultaneously with the connection of the male member 80 with the female member 82, it is needed to pick up the checking member 84 which has come off from the housing 81 after the connecting operation. Accordingly, depending on the places where the conventional connector is applied, it is extremely difficult to carry out the picking-up operation. Moreover, the conventional connector cannot be applied to the places where the come-off and fallen checking member 84 results in troubles.